Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-09-14

feet square, and took turns. to preach and
pray. His Methodism has nothing to do
with my story, except to show the mas
terful character of the man. He would
be leader; he wanted people to think as
he told them, and he could only do this in
a dissenting chapel. Dan, who accepted
the authority of the Rev. Mr.. Burden and
the church, was, in his way, as religious as
he was honest. There is nothing, he fire.
quently argued, against smuggling, either
in Bible or Prayer Book. At the four
great festivals of the church he received
the sacrament; he slept every Sunday af-
ternoon over "Holy Living and DYING
and he kept, as have said, the roof on
the parish church.
It was among these people that spent
the first seventeen years of my life Such
education as had was given me by the
rector at odd moments. I could read, but
had few books, and those knew by heart.
They were Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Prog
ress." "Robinson Crusoe" and one or two
more. Writing I learned by slow de-
grees; my spelling has never, l own, been
correct, nor can I understand the fuss
which is made about that accomplish
ment. If the writer's meaning is clear,
why object to the omission or the addi-
tion of letter or two? There was little
encouragement to literature in Rousdon
Farm. Job and Jephthah had learned,
like myself, to read and write; but as
they never practiced either art and sup
plemented memory only by chalk marlS
on the cart, suspect they had forgotten
both. Dan regarded writing as useful for
commercial purposes and reading on the
Sunday as an aid to devotion. In respect
to other uses there were instances which
he had heard of where q passion for books
actually led the victim, by imperceptible
degrees, to the gallows. Certainly in
those years there were many, many roads
to that dismal tree.
Ibid not read much, my duties at home
were soon got through, the rest OF my
time I spent upon the water, alone or with
Dan and on the Undercliff. In the even
ing there was sewing. But all day long
and all the year round, rain or sunshine,
I was in the open air, gathering flowers
in the Holmbush fields, climbing among
the bracken under the Pinhay cliffs, sing
ing all alone in the woods upon the hill
sides, out upon the seq in the dingy, or
in summer bathing and swimming where
the rocks hid me from casual eyes which
never chanced to pass that way. 1t was
a lonely place, facing lonely sea; few
ships ever sailed across that great bay
save the heavy craft which brought coal
from Wales, or the coasters which traded
from port to port, or the fishing afSfrom
Lyme and Beer. I had the sea all t&my-
self when I put out in the dingy, ran up
the little sail and sat in the stern, tiller in
one hand and rope in the other, while the
boat slipped through the short crisp
waves with murmurous whish, leaving
it's little white track behind, while my
fancy ran riot, and I had visions such as
come to the young and innocent OF q
golden and impossible future, lying among
figures indistinct and misty.
AS for the times we were always at
war. During the whole Of my childhood,
and for good many years afterward, the
talk was oil of war. For five-and-twenty
years England was fighting. On the
south coast the war might at any moment
become more than rumor; there was no
reason why French privateer should not
cross over and do what mischief she could.
Every day, before breakfast, we all SOL
emnly looked out to sea-Dan with his
glass-to see if an enemy was lowering
over the coast, and once we saw naval
action. The Frenchnan was a privateer;
the Englishman q brig Of war carrying
twelve guns. They ran side by side for q
while, firing necessarily, the Englishman
gradually reducing the distance. At last
they came to close quarters, and our men
boarded her. Oh, what sight! 1t was
too far off for US to see the horrors of bat
tle-the dead and wounded; but we could
make out, when the smoke cleared away,
that the union jack was run up where the
French flag had been flying, and Dan SOL
emnly, with tears in his eyes, thanked the
God of victory. 1t was brave and gal.
liant action; they made the commander of
the brig first lieutenant for it; then they
sent him out to Jamaica, where they for
got him altogether, although he did plenty
of other things quite as good. This was
the way they used to treat our brave sail
ors. Thirty years afterward he came
home, still first lieutenant, and Oald, by
reason of the many men who had climbed
up over his head.
Heavens! how brave our men were, and
what fights they fought They cut out
French ships under the guns of their own
batteries. They engaged vessels double
their own weight; whenever they saw ar
enemy's ship they attacked her. The papers
were full of naval actions, which were al
ways victories. I never saw the papers,
but heard the news whenever Dan came
back from Lyme. Bonaparte was going
to invade England, and made enormous
preparations; the whole country took up
arms younp and old: the war fever DOS
sessed the British bull dog. There was
no fear in our hearts, nor any hesitation.
Looking back upon that time, can only
feel that surely none other than the hand
of God was upon us; how else could we,
fighting against such odds as never any
other nation encountered, have fought so
bravely, and finished the struggle with SO
much honor?